Month: March 2021

John 3.36 & Deuteronomy 27.9,10

Independence of mind and self-determinism is so ingrained in our society that an instruction to obey can be seen as wrong, offensive and detracting from our rights. It feels like being forced to do things against our will. There have rightly been strong reactions against enforced controls on people’s lives typified in the anti-slavery movements and a rejection that crimes committed under the orders of military commanders are excusable. Many women have seen a promise to obey in a marriage service as inappropriate and unequal. How then do you react to John’s words, ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God remains on him’? ^{John 3.36} These words fit into a whole biblical theme of obedience to God and are also a repeated theme in John’s writings. They can be a stumbling block to faith and spiritual growth and they can also be misinterpreted and cause Christians stress and anxiety. On the other hand fully grasped and understood they can be a pathway to freedom, joy and peace.

Jesus was just about to walk through Samaria on the way back to Galilee, passing Mount Ebal and it was close to there he met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. It was on Mount Ebal that Moses addressed the people of Israel just before they enter the promised land with these words, ‘You have now become the people of the Lord your God. Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today’^{. Deuteronomy 27.9,10} He then went on to clarify what obedience to God was by issuing a series of curses or forbidden things, followed by blessings for obedience. Obedience then is about rejecting sin and living in a God pleasing way. What then is sinful? No lists in scripture are comprehensive, but what they do is expose the depth and range of sin. Moses’ list ^{Deuteronomy 27.15-26} first of all identifies idolatry, that is anything we place in our hearts where God should be. It includes a whole range of behaviours destructive to family life: not respecting parents, having sexual relations with close relatives and animals, maliciousness, injustice to the poor, weak and foreigners, crimes against neighbours and corruption. The blessing in addition to occupying the promised land and prospering is that they will be God’s people, ^{Deuteronomy 28.9} and the name of the Lord will be known throughout the world. ^{Deuteronomy 29.10}  Here we see the missionary dimension of obedience to God. The lives of the people of God are intended to reveal God to others.

God’s material blessings in the Old Testament are symbolic of the spiritual blessing in the New Testament. The promised land of the Old Testament becomes the promised land of eternal life in the New Testament. Does this mean that obedience is the means of salvation and eternal life? It does not, but obedience is the evidence and outcome of faith. Condemnation by God is not something that God decides after having weighed up how obedient one has been. It is the state all are in unless one believes in Jesus. It is a very hard message to hear, that one has naturally separated oneself from God and it takes the positive action of faith in Christ to change that.

Does it also mean that if we stumble and fail in obedience then we come under God’s wrath again? No, it does not and John addresses this in his first letter to the churches. We all stumble and fail, but we are called to be honest with God about our struggles. The Christian life is about our ongoing relationship with God. It is highly personal and intimate as in a marriage or with parents in a family. These are John’s words, ‘If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.’ ^{1 John 1.8-10}

Does our obedience to Jesus reveal the character of God to others?

John 3.22-36

Once the Passover was over and Jesus had finished his conversation with Nicodemus, he and his disciples moved out of Jerusalem into the surrounding Judean countryside. His group were close to John the Witness (Baptist) and both parties were baptizing people. They were located beside a plentiful water supply. In Jesus’ case his disciples were doing the baptizing. A Jew and we do not know anything more about him than that, challenged John over his practice of baptizing, we can only presume it was because it did not conform to normal Jewish purification rites. This sparked off questions to John from his own disciples because people were now going to Jesus for baptism. In John’s answer to his disciples he came up with a cornerstone of all appropriate Christian ministry, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ ^{John 3.30}

John’s heart towards Jesus exemplifies the perfect attitude for Christian ministry. John was delighted that people’s focus was now on Jesus. For a more detailed understanding of humility in Christian ministry read 2 Corinthians 4, but this short passage contains bright insightful gems. I was once in a church where a potential split was occurring because another church of the same denomination was starting up and some of the members were wanting to transfer as the new church was more charismatic in character. Our minister spoke to the church and said he welcomed a thriving charismatic church starting in the same area and expressed the hope that both churches would continue to lead people to Christ and grow in all ways. This indeed did happen, but for me it was an example of a Christian leader putting Christ and his ‘bride’ before his own ministry and God blessed the community with two thriving churches.

John corrected his own disciples with positive teaching because he clearly understood who Jesus was and that his own ministry was to prepare and point people towards Jesus. ‘You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ ^{John 3.28} The day after John had baptized Jesus two of his disciples, Andrew and probably John the gospel writer had left John to follow Jesus. This had now become the dominant pattern of behaviour and John was glad. John recognized that his ministry was a gift from God and that he had been able to fulfil it. ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.’ ^John3.27

John used the analogy of a bride, a groom and a best man. The bride is what we now call the church or Jesus’ disciples, the groom is Jesus and his role is the best man. As he sees the two wed it is for him a matter of great rejoicing. ‘The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.’ ^John3.29 Witnessing the union of Jesus with his people is the pinnacle of Christian ministry.

John then moves on to the best man speech where he extolls the virtues of the groom. Because Jesus is from heaven itself he alone is able to speak from firsthand knowledge of heavenly things. ‘He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.’ ^{John 3.32} Sadly there are many who do not understand or reject his words but there will be those who receive both his teaching and Jesus for themselves. Where people do accept and act upon his teaching Jesus assures them of his truth through the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. ^{John 3.33} The seal seems to work both ways. The believer affirms the truth of God but God secures their faith with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Elsewhere in John’s gospel Jesus says, ‘Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.’ ^{John 6.27} Paul writes, ‘And who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.’ ^{2 Corinthians 1.22} The seal of the Holy Spirit acts like the evidence of the signed marriage certificate or the gift of the ring that signifies the contract and bond that holds together Jesus and his bride the church.

All these things are in the gift of the Father through the Son. ^{John 3.34,35} John draws a clear distinction between those who believe in Jesus (the Son) and those who do not. ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.’ ^{John 3.36} By implication this emphasizes again the importance of Christian ministry that points to Jesus and why he must increase and the minister must decrease.

How do we approach our own ministry?

Do we rejoice each time a person commits their life to Christ?

You must increase youtube – Matt Redman

John 3.16-21

Stories about how lives have been dramatically transformed when individuals have come to faith in Christ are frequently inspiring and deserve celebration. The apostle Paul or Zacchaeus would be biblical examples. However, the dramatic can often cloud everyday reality. Our own hearts are by nature deceptive, we are inclined to think unduly well of ourselves and so the normal default position is that we are basically good people. This comes from a perception that who and what we are is normal and we then make judgements regarding other conduct and beliefs relative to ourselves. So hopefully a murderer is worse and therefore bad and worthy of condemnation whilst the likes of Mother Teresa is probably considered better and therefore worthy of praise. Nicodemus is likely to have thought well of himself at the time of his night time visit to Jesus. He may well have thought how open minded he was being and perceptive as he recognized God at work in the miracles Jesus was performing.

Jesus sweeps away this relativist perspective. God does not have a balance sheet of good stuff we have done compared to the bad. God looks at the heart attitude towards him and our love for him expressed through our faith. He knows and had already told Nicodemus’ generation the state of everybody’s default position. ‘We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.’ ^Isaiah 64.6 Paul reiterates this, ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,’ ^{Romans 3.23} because the standard of righteousness is not our standard, but God’s. The truth that is so hard for us to grasp deep within our hearts is that we naturally love darkness. Jesus exposes this in his sermon on the mount. ^{Mathew 5} It is a false position to think we start at a neutral position and make choices from there. We are naturally inclined to reject Jesus. On top of that the last thing most of us want is the state of our heart to become known. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘This is the verdict: Light (Jesus) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.’ ^{John 3.19,20}

It takes a work of God within us to recognise our need and want to do something about it. If we are in the position of searching for God to change us, God has started that work, and he will be responsive to our prayer to make our need clear to us. God uses the bible to speak into our hearts and lives, it pays great dividends to spend time to not only read a passage like John 3 but to dwell on it prayerfully letting each phrase sink in. The Spirit of Christ uses scripture to expose our true selves to us. ‘For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.’ Hebrews 4.12

Whilst the judgement of God would condemn us the love of God wants to save us. His love is directed towards everybody not to a select number. Once more our natural hearts frequently rebel against a God who is like that. We say to ourselves, I understand God loves me but how can he possibly love and want to save this other dreadful person? Jesus, however, is clear, ‘God so loved the world’, it is the clearest of statements against racism and discrimination. The demonstration of the extent of his love is the cost he is prepared to bear to restore relationship with him and give eternal life. Life spent forever with him. Implied in, ‘he gave his only son’ is Jesus incarnation and crucifixion. God desperately does not want to condemn individuals. Whilst we have considered John 3.16 onwards separately from the previous paragraph it is all part of one explanation made by Jesus. God’s only requirement is belief in Jesus, ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.’ ^{John 3.15} Such love.

Belief in Jesus is a transforming moment. From that point our heart starts to be drawn to the light unafraid of what God sees. ‘Whoever does what is true (initially belief in Jesus) comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.’ ^{John 3.21}

How much do you pause and let scripture sink in and transform your inner life?

Such love – Graham Kendrick

John 3.10–15

Nicodemus was struggling to understand Jesus when he said, ‘You must be born again.’ ^{John 3.8} Nicodemus had thought he was an expert in spiritual matters but Jesus was now speaking about things beyond his expertise and experience. His prior prejudices were being challenged. ‘ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.’ ^{v 3.9} Jesus then made clear the gap between Nicodemus knowledge and experience and his own. Jesus opened up about his identity. In using the term ‘we’ when speaking of what we know ^{v 3.11} he may have been referring to the Trinity but he was certainly saying he had knowledge of heavenly things from personal experience that Nicodemus could not have. When Jesus said, ‘No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man’ he was stating in terms very clear to Nicodemus that he was the prophesied Messiah. He was also saying he had the knowledge and authority to speak of these things because he was from heaven. God incarnate.

Jesus then connected his teaching about new birth with his coming crucifixion. He did so using symbolism from the time of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. ^{Numbers 21.4-9} The Israelites rebelled against the Lord complaining that he had brought them into the wilderness without food and water. God miraculously provided both. God punished their rebellion with venomous snakes but when the people repented and confessed their sins God instructed Moses to hold up a bronze snake on a pole, if anybody was bitten by a snake and looked at the pole, they lived. The symbolism here includes people’s rebellion against God and his righteous judgement, however, where people confess and repent God provides a means of salvation, in this case salvation of their earthly life.

Jesus here was saying the bronze snake represented how he would be lifted up on a cross and his death would atone for the sins of people who looked to him, in other words had faith in him. His lifting up, however, was a matter of eternal life not some temporary healing of earthly life. ‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life.’ ^{v 3.14-15} Nicodemus would later personally witness Jesus dying on the cross and help Joseph place him in the tomb.

When John uses the term lifted up in his gospel he has two meanings, Jesus lifted up on the cross and Jesus glorious exultation in heaven following his ascension. Both are relevant here as the promise of eternal life is a promise to share in Jesus’ resurrection and be with him in heaven.

Who have we got our eyes on?

Have we shared in his promise to be lifted up with him?

Be lifted up – Paul Oakley

John 3.3 – 3.10

Brian Welch: From Korn to Jesus

Christianity is personal, it goes to the heart of the individual and it changes lives. You can be a clever person, a rich person, socially successful or down and out but if Christianity doesn’t personally impact you in your inner core as a person it is of no lasting value to you. Why is that? It is because Christianity is about personally being born spiritually and from that beginning one’s life changes and a relationship with God starts. Nicodemus knew all about religious practices as a Pharisee and teacher of the law. He was faithfully obedient to all the customs and rituals. He knew the scriptures inside out. However, that does not equal spiritual life. His religion was at that time an empty husk except for one thing he had desire in his heart to know more about Jesus and he recognized that Jesus was from God. ‘For no one could perform signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ ^{John 3.2}

That desire to know more about Jesus and really wanting to change is God’s Spirit speaking into our mind. Being as it were touched by the Spirit of God is described by Jesus as, ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.’ ^{Johm 3.8} It is poetic language but everybody who has started a relationship with God will recognize that prompting that draws us closer to Jesus. We look back and say I have known the Spirit convicting me even when I have fought against him. Jesus concluded his description of the Spirit’s impact by saying, ‘So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’ ^{John 3.8} Jesus longs for each one of us to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and ask him to be spiritually born.

Is spiritual birth a real thing and is it absolutely necessary? Jesus makes clear that spiritual birth is necessary for forgiveness, spiritual life and eternal life. He says it twice to Nicodemus. ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ ^{John 3.3} ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.’ ^{John 3.5}

This to Nicodemus was a whole new idea and so naturally enough he gets confused about the difference between natural birth and spiritual birth. ‘ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked.’ Jesus states plainly that spiritual birth is separate to natural birth because they are different. ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit (notice the capital S indicating that it is the Holy Spirit) gives birth to spirit.’ ^John 3.6 God alone can give one spiritual life we cannot do it for ourselves. Our role is to ask and trust.

Why did Jesus say that one needed to be born of water and the Spirit? The idea that the Spirit gives spiritual birth is straight forward but what is meant by being born of water. Jesus was speaking to a learned Jewish leader who would have known the scriptures intimately. He therefore refers Nicodemus back to Ezekiel’s prophecy addressed to the nation of Israel when the people had persistently pursued sinful ways. ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ ^{Ezekiel 36.25-27} The sprinkling with water symbolizes forgiveness and cleansing from their old ways that rejected God. The Spirit within enables one to live a life pleasing to God.

Is it time to take the step that Nicodemus eventually did and ask Jesus for spiritual birth, to be cleansed from old ways and received the Spirit’s life and have a new start?

If one took that step some time ago but now need one’s spiritual life to be refreshed then do not hesitate to come again to Jesus, ask for forgiveness and cleansing, to be filled again with his Spirit to overcome sin and lead a life that is fulfilling and righteous.

Newsboys – Born Again